Coroner rules out drug, alcohol impairment in crash that killed five Indo-Canadians

Drug and alcohol impairment have been ruled out as factors in a crash that killed five people in Surrey last month, according to the British Columbia (BC) Coroners Service. Daniel Mark Gore, 46, was driving a minivan that ran a red light and collided with a Toyota Corolla at the intersection of 32nd Avenue and 176th Street at around 11 am on April 28.

Drug and alcohol impairment have been ruled out as factors in a crash that killed five people in Surrey last month, according to the British Columbia (BC) Coroners Service.

Daniel Mark Gore, 46, was driving a minivan that ran a red light and collided with a Toyota Corolla at the intersection of 32nd Avenue and 176th Street at around 11 am on April 28.

The five Punjabi NRI occupants of the car — Pawandeep Arjot, 31, her children Annish Sachdeva, 5, and Jessica Sachdeva, 3, sister-in-law Neelam Rani Dhingra, 47, and mother-in-law Vidya Wanti Sachdeva, 68 — died at the scene. All of the deceased belonged to the family of Jolly Sachdeva who runs a restaurant in Surrey and hails from Rampura town of Punjab’s Bathinda district.

After the accident Gore was taken to hospital in serious condition. During his stay at the hospital, an unrelated brain condition was discovered and he died about a week after the crash during surgery for that condition. Police said at the time of Gore’s death that they were investigating whether the brain condition contributed to the tragic crash.

According to a news release from the BC Coroners Service, toxicology results show no indication of impairment due to alcohol, illicit drugs or prescription or over-the-counter medications in Gore’s blood.

With impairment ruled out, the coroner’s investigation into the cause of the collision continues.